How Does Celiac Disease Affect Fertility and Pregnancy?

Celiac disease is often misunderstood, poorly treated, and rarely tested for in a general population. In fact, about 1 in 100 people have celiac disease, but 2.5 million Americans are undiagnosed, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. One aspect of your health celiac disease can negatively impact is your reproductive life. Read on to learn how —and what you can do about it.

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Changes to your menstrual cycle might be related to celiac disease

Women with celiac disease can have a host of issues related to their fertility. This can include not having periods (amenorrhea), having strange periods, and other unexplained issues. Many women aren’t diagnosed as having celiac disease until they reach midlife, well after the most common baby-making years, meaning that undiagnosed celiac disease could have led to fertility problems without women realizing the cause.

Why does celiac disease potentially harm a pregnancy?

There’s not yet a clear answer as to how or why celiac disease increases risks in pregnancy. However, data does show that gluten damages the placenta, perhaps in multiple ways, when a pregnant woman has celiac disease. Some say this only happens when the celiac is untreated; others are not so sure. Testing for celiac in early pregnancy and offering a gluten-free diet to anti-tTG antibody-positive women may be the best option.

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Should you act like you have celiac if you have a problem pregnancy?

Just as a gluten-free diet may be suggested for people with a history of unexplained infertility, it may be helpful in reducing pregnancy complications as well. In the absence of another diagnosis, if you are struggling with fertility issues, miscarriages, stillbirth, or other problems, ask your doctor if you should consider a gluten-free diet, and whether it may be beneficial even without the diagnosis of celiac disease.

Test first, ask questions later?

Because many people with celiac disease remain undiagnosed, it’s something to consider if there is a history of issues with your reproductive life, including pregnancy loss, issues with fertility, and possibly even a delayed start to a normal period. When in doubt, ask for the test!

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The bottom line on celiac and fertility

It’s also important to keep in mind that there’s much room for improvement in the medical literature on celiac disease and reproductive health. Many of the studies that
have been done are small. There is also some argument over what the best research is, meaning we are still operating in a gray area at times. Nonetheless, it’s important to consider testing for celiac if you experience any of these reproductive issues — especially if you’ve also been having digestive symptoms of celiac disease.

Robin Elise Weiss, Ph.D.

Robin Elise Weiss, Ph.D., LCCE, CLC, AdvCD(DONA) is a childbirth educator, doula, founder of Childbirth.org, and the award-winning pregnancy and parenting author of “The Complete Illustrated Guide to Pregnancy” and more than 10 other books. Between her nine children, teaching childbirth classes, and attending births for more than two decades, she has built up an impressive and practical knowledge base. You can follow Robin on Twitter @RobinPregnancy, Instagram @Robineliseweiss, and Facebook @childbirthtrainings.